Pages

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Between Two Covers

I am
currently reading Our
Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. I came across the following quotation,

“No one who can read, ever looks at a book,
even unopened on a shelf, like one who cannot. “

Now
this brings back memories and feelings of when I was very young. It was a time
when I was able to read but not yet ready for long and complicated adult books.
I stared at bookshelves in awe. Beefy tomes seemed a wonder to me. I think that
I was on the cusp of the situation described in the above quotation, able to
read sentences, simple paragraphs, maybe even short children’s books; but the
big adult books were still out of my reach. Even then, there was an insatiable curiosity.
There was a strong mystique
to these objects called books. How could
one collect so much knowledge between two covers? How could anyone absorb such voluminous
intricate detail?

When
I initially attempted to tackle such weighty works, history books at first, I
more often than not did not finish them. Surprisingly, when school acquainted
me with textbooks, I learned an important lesson. At the start of the year
these textbooks appeared insurmountable. I learned, however, that slow
progress, one week at a time, eventually yielded comprehensive results. Slow
and steady wins the race!

Later,
I did begin to read history books. For fiction, I began to devour what at the
time I described as “serious science fiction”. Later still, this was not
enough. There were other literary works beyond the science fiction genre that
were just as important to explore, if not more so. Of course, reading
critically was an important early lesson. As brilliant as some the minds behind
some of these works were, I knew that I needed to really look hard at their
ideas. Many of the messages in the early fiction that I read seemed incongruous
with each other, as well as with what seemed true about life and with existence.
Early religious instruction with its accompanying Bible readings also had an
impact. Here was a combination of works that, even at the time, I sensed were
immensely important. They reached into culture, morality and human emotion. I
grasped some of their aesthetic beauty. These texts were filled with ideas; but
I saw that these were a mix of good, in–between and bad ideas. Despite what so
many others were telling me, as profound as these writings were, I concluded
that they were not the definitive word on morality or the reality of existence.
The same proved true of the ideas presented in many other books.

Throughout
much of my early youth, I imagined the perfect adult who was constantly reading
books of all types and taking in the collective knowledge of humanity. I think
that this idealized grown-up helped shape me into the reader that I am today.

Sometimes,
the sight of a book, even a book that I believe or know to be really good,
seems very mundane and commonplace. At
other times, I take another look and I once again feel the wonder and awe at
just how much thought and beauty is contained within that very small space
between two covers.

39 comments:

I'm beginning to get old enough to feel that that awe that you talk about is beginning to turn into desperation that I won't have enough time to experience all that awe in all the books I'd like to--morbid but true confession! How's the Dickens so far, Brian--any hints?

Hi Richard - I have the same feeling. I will not get to all the books that U really want to in my lifetime. It really is fun trying however. Reading against the clock of our limited lifespans is actually a reoccurring theme of Howard Boom.

I am about halfway through "Our Mutual Friend". O am really liking it. There are few really interesting and complex characters as well as some philosophical undertones.

That's a wonderful post, Brian. I'm not always feeling that awe anymore. There are phases when it comes back but not like it used too. Still it bugs me not to have enough time, maybe not even for my TBR pile looking at the size of it. How do you like reading Dicknes in summer? Maybe that's a silly comment but he strikes me as an autumn/winter author.

Hi Caroline - Thanks for the good word, Indeed the awe at time dies wane.

The Dickens reference to winter is not silly at all. Some of his books do seem to fit the the winter mood a lot. There are a lot of weather descriptions in this book. It takes place over along period of time so they cover winter, spring, summer and fall. This seems to neutralize any unnatural feelings arising out of this book in the summer.

Hi Suko - Lately I have been talking to a few folks who tell me they get frustrated that books take so long and they give them up. I think that this is very common. Perhaps are society is too much aimed at instant gratification.

Wonderful post Brian, and I love that shot of the books."I once again feel the wonder and awe at just how much thought and beauty is contained within that very small space between two covers"<- I think this statement resonates with lovers of books and literature.I do think that initial curiosity opens the doors to what kind of readers we all become. It's interesting to take a look at why we all choose the types of books we read.

I've always felt the same way - there's such a wealth of information out there if only I could devour it all. Even the stuff I don't agree with. Because if you seriously think about the stuff you don't agree with, sometimes you can see the other side for a moment.

Lately I've been so busy with school that I've only been reading very light stuff. I'll be happy to get back to my usual reading habits when classes end. But it's surprising how much you can learn even from light, fluffy reading!

I can distinctly recall my path into this world of ours starting by staring at my grandparents bound classics collection. Then working my way through then until the day they were done & I set off seeking my own addition to that ideal collection we all must have in our hearts. Then one author begats another who begats etc until we each have our personal library. Great thought provoking post enjoyed it thanks

Nice article, Brian. I had much the same feeling as a child, and loved the idea of entering the world of ideas. I embarked on War and Peace when I was about 11 or 12, and it took me ages and some of it went over my head, but I loved reading such a huge book with so much contained it, so much knowledge of a world far away from suburban London. Your post reminded me of that feeling, so thanks!

I can relate to what you wrote,of course. I wonder if this will happen to future generations, with ebooks taking over. Where is the attraction to covers and will they know the pleasure of walking along shelves in a library or browsing through book's.

My parents, particularly my father, and my older brothers and sister were all great readers, and our living room was filled with books, as were the bedrooms. Being the youngest in the family, they were all reading books beyond me while I was young, but their reading shaped me. I also remember staring at shelves and longing for the day when I could tackle "real" books.

My older brother picked out Jane Eyre for me to read when I asked him to recommend a "grownup" book for me to read when I was 11 or 12, and most of the literature I read as a teenager were books my brothers gave me...a lot of Steinbeck, but also Twain and Dickens. Thank goodness my mother intervened and gave me Austen to read :)

Hi Shelly - I too remember picking up books and only getting a fraction as to the content. I remember trying the Encyclopedia Britannica's enormous entry on the Roman Empire. Though more comprehension was weak, this stuff really whetted my appetite.

Thanks for a wonderful reverie on the life of reading. My background, not terribly unlike yours includes plenty of SF in my teen years. The larger more serious books, fiction or nonfiction, seemed to slowly succumb to my reading habits. Looking back I wonder when anyone marvels at the size of a "War and Peace" for that is not the defining characteristic for readers such as ourselves.